Clipping

i have a 13.2 native who is unclipped. Over the past month i have increased her work-load and she is nowdoing more strenuous work. This is causing her to sweat a lot and i was wondering whether i should bother clipping her so late in the winter? I've never clipped a horse before so any tips would be appreciated.

Is your pony rugged up? That has to be the first point to consider, if she/he is then yes you could clip off the under side of the neck, which will improve the comfort of your pony without being too drastic.
Have a look in any mags where there are pix of clipped horses and you might see the type of clip i mean.

I wouldn't like to keep a horse at grass with a blanket clip, not unless you have a rug with a neck cover.

Clip as often as they need it, for smartness every two weeks, for practicality once a month. It is recommended that you don't clip after Jan the first, because it affects the summer coat, this depends on what you intend doing in the summer and where you live.

If you are not going to show but are riding hard then clio until the winter coat starts to fall. If you intend showing don't clip after Jan.

1. Is the horse stabled overnight?
2. How much work is he/she doing?
3. Do you have a New Zealand Rug?

Look in the How to section there is an article on clipping a horse there.

This horse has had the neck and shoulders clipped and would continue to live out providing it was rugged. You could alter the line on this clip, leave more on the shoulders, and take more off the belly. Your pony could still be keep it in a field providing the field is sheltered i.e. not exposed to the North or East wind.

If you trace clip your pony, he will need a stable it overnight, because you have clipped his bottom. Ponies turn their bottoms to the wind and rain to help keep themselves warm.

There is an Icelandic X mare at our riding school that has a very low ‘bib and braces’ clip (same clip as the strawberry roan in the picture but a much lower line) she is kept in the field without a rug, BUT if the weather turns cold or wet she is stabled overnight and only let out during the warmest part of the day.

Finally if you have never clipped a horse before yourself and you have no idea how your pony will react to the clippers find a friend with experience or pay someone experienced to clip your pony for you. Getting horses/ponies off on ‘the right foot’ with clippers is very important. Horses/ponies that have been frightened by clipper are an absolute nightmare for the rest of their lives.

Yes she is How did you know?
She is actually quite difficult to clip - not because she is naughty but she has (don't quite know how to describe this) very dense, thick but quite fine hair the clippers have to work hard to cut even with a new/sharpened pair of blades